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Weekly Photo Challenge: Green

A few years ago, my friend’s little girl asked me what was my favorite color. It’s green, I told her, and then she squealed like only a four-year-old girl can and said, “HeeEEEeeEeeeeyyy! That’s MY favorite color too!” I asked her if we could share and she sized me up, mouth puckered to one side, head cocked, brow furrowed in thought and then–thankfully!–she nodded happily and said, “OK!” From that point on we were favorite-color-is-green sisters. She is now six and I’m pretty sure her favorite colors have shifted to pink and purple because she is a six year old girl, after all. But I love that story, and it’s never far from the topic of “green” for me. So this photo challenge is coming to you from me and my little friend Violet, even if her favorite color is purple now.

Public Gardens, Boston.

The Public Gardens are directly across the street from Boston Common. On a map it sort of looks like it’s one big park, but the Common is clearly a city park while the Gardens always remind me of Fairyland. There’s a swan boat floating nearby and willows twisting in the breeze. I love this little structure. I have no idea what kind of birds those are; I’m totally willing to learn.

The Jewett Steps, Wellesley College.

One day during a summer trip to Boston I took a side trip to my alma mater. Sensibly, the college does a lot of renovation work over the summer, when students are not present. The Jewett Steps were always one of my favorite spots on campus so I was initially mildly disappointed to see the scaffolding but then I realized…it looked pretty cool. I love how the trees are flourishing in the middle of all this straight, spare, pretty severe architecture, and that you can just see more trees through the arch in the distance and peeking over the sides. It reminds me that nature will have her way with this, eventually, despite our best efforts. I don’t want that to be for a fantastically long time, but it’s always there. And! That’s how it should be.

Where I live. Beautiful Central PA.

Well. It’s not exactly my backyard, but it’s really really close.

Chateau Renaissance, Finger Lakes, NY

Chateau Renaissance is this fun, interesting, quirky little winery on Keuka Lake. The owners are pleasant and talkative and happy to see people. The tastings are free and the tasting room is cozy. They make a killer champagne rouge that I need more of, so if anyone’s going up that-a-way, please let me know. And I have no idea why their back room has green lighting, but there you have it. I felt like I was looking at some kind of movie set or something.

Venice, Italy.

Like there was any way I could not take a picture of the greenest boat in the world? For some reason it pleases me to no end that it’s been dubbed the “Veritas”.

Murrisk, Ireland.

I had to finish with the Emerald Isle, land of my people. The peak in the background is Croagh Patrick, St. Patrick’s holy mountain. There are all sorts of legends that surround Croagh Patrick; this is where St. Patrick defeated the druids, banished the snakes, won the right to judge the Irish on Judgement Day. The mountain is also surrounded by green, but as this is Ireland that’s like saying it’s surrounded by oxygen. It’s true what they say: the Irish are wonderful hosts, and it is called the Emerald Isle for a reason.